Oct 28, 2015

The Pawlowski Bitch Slap

Who's your Daddy now?

We, who write and read blogs, overestimate the general public. We assumed that Pawlowski's support with his PAC in the spring, would come back to haunt those candidates, after the FBI investigation. I pretty much dismissed that logical reasoning, until today's article in the Morning Call, by Emily Opilo, FBI cloud darkens Allentown election. The article makes that logical reasoning public, making it a reality, seven days before the election. The article associates Thiel, Glazier, and Affa with the Pawlowski/Fleck/FBI fiasco. Then again, I may now be overestimating the influence of the Morning Call's article. But, at the very least, it's a well deserved bitch slap at those who gladly kissed Pawlowski's ring last spring.

18 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Why do you think a publication like The Morning Call, a rag who celebrates Pawlowski and The NIZ at every twist and turn, print an article making a connection between their hero and candidates who supported him?

It's fun to use The Morning Call when it's convenient for you and to demonize it as the bogey man when it doesn't, huh?

serial antagonist @6:31, you twist everything and everybody, to anonymously attack those on your enemy list. i have been pretty consistent in my criticism of their NIZ promotion, and also in praising their current city beat reporter, opilo.

Problem is that the County/City GOP could have coordinated some sort of media blitz and has done nothing. GOP will put out the standard "here is our GOP ticket mailer", instead of detailing the extent of Palow/Fleck PAC's influence on local gov't. An opportunity like this comes along only every 20-30 years to shift the power base, particulalry with a 60-40 Demo registration edge in Allentown - - -GOP blew it.

The article didn't mention the Pawlowski/Fleck connection to the Democrat Lehigh County Commissioner candidates. Their PAC, Citizens for a Better Lehigh County, received a $3,000 contribution from Pawlowski during the primary season. They also used Fleck as their campaign consultant.

Now that Fleck's fled town, they've opened a new PAC, and scrubbed the website on the old one. But they are still using the former Fleck employees as their consultant for the new PAC.

The names may have changed but the game remains the same.

County Executive Muller has provided cash, in-kind donations, and other support to the PACs, and the PACs have passed that onto the democrat candidates. Just two days ago, Muller, Director of Administration Dan McCarthy, and McCarthy's wife dumped a total of $8,550 into the PAC.

This is exactly what Ed Pawlowski did to get his group of rubber-stampers elected to Allentown City Council. We have a chance to stop it from happening at the county level.

@1:30, another demo hit piece. the fact is that in the primary the pawlowski/fleck melt down had not yet occurred. there is only one republican on the ballot for city council, with the two school board candidates having been crossed filed.

similar distorted comments, necessitating a reply, may not be printed, especially if submitted anonymously.

@6:45, in my opinion there is no longer a Palow Morning Call, while the paper still promotes the NIZ, the honeymoon with Pawlowski ended with the FBI raid in july. the tv debates were only ever used for mayoral races, not city council.

this morning's excellent call article by emily opilo was labeled Analysis, which is an unusual approach by the paper.

When there were huge crowds at city council on the regular to try and stop the sale of the water supply and the addition to downtown of a garbage and sewage incinerator I had hopes that Allentonians would wake up after Julio Guridy showed his true face all but laughing at people who expressed concerns. His dismissal of anyone questioning the Pawlowski administration was so overt I thought "this is it. We can finally change things"

Unfortunately Guridy took first place in the primary and became one of four candidates on the ballot seeking four seats in the general election that year. The actual actions of council and the citizens standing up against them had zero effect on the election process.

The FBI investigation is (I hope) higher profile to most people but low voter turnout coupled with a refusal of the electorate to educate itself has let Allentown politics be dominated by corruption for decades. It was not that long ago that the citizens were so upset with the actions of their mayor that a new City Charter was drafted to take power away from the mayor and give it to the council and so corruption stacked the council.

I fear that the center right Democrats in Allentown are going to either have no effect or cause the city to swing further to the right at a time when we desperately need a new left, an actual left, to fight for the people.